Tesco has come under fire from customers for charging substantially different prices to those with and without a Clubcard.
Shoppers at the supermarket giant say they are seeing more and more 'ridiculous' situations where the non-Clubcard price is substantially higher than the cost to those who are in the scheme, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Writing on Twitter one shopper said it was 'dreadful' that Tesco was charging £16 for an item to those with a Clubcard but a whopping £40 to those without. @virtual_ambvxr said: "This is dreadful… if you can sell it at £16 then sell it at £16. The Clubcards are literally free of charge so what is the point? You don’t gain anything from Clubcards. £40 is absolutely ridiculous. Seeing these crazy prices more and more in Tesco, it really is shocking!"
Read more: Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons all cutting prices to help tackle rising cost of living crisis
A separate image posted to Twitter seemed to show Tesco charging £2.90 for Nescafe Azera coffee with a Clubcard, and £6 without it. "Tesco said 'what cost of living crisis?'" @catekitchen posted. JJM_1994 replied: "Tesco Clubcards are probably skewing the real (much higher) inflation stats."
Meanwhile @andy88jones said: "Tesco has basically turned into a tech company; they are enforcing Clubcards now to get your shopping data. Crate of Bud Light £16 or £9 with a Clubcard. Sneaky sneaky."
A Tesco spokesperson told Bristol Live: “Through Clubcard Prices, we’re giving more than 20 million customers access to thousands of exclusive deals on everything from everyday staples like fruit and veg to treats like prosecco and ice-cream.
“It’s easy and free to sign up, and customers can register on the Tesco Grocery & Clubcard app, website or in store to start saving straight away.”
Last week Tesco announced it was making a change to its Clubcard for those who regularly shop online. It told the Mirror those users will get an email letting them know about the shake-up. Not all customers will be affected. If you have received an email and want to keep receiving your quarterly Clubcard statement and vouchers by post, you'll need to actively opt back in.
You can do this by signing into your MyClubcard account online, clicking on 'statement preferences' and changing it back to 'by post'. You'll need to do this by May 5. If you change your preferences after this date, you'll receive your May statement and vouchers by email, but will then receive your August statement and vouchers by post.
The news comes as Tesco is set to open 59 new branches over the next 12 months. This follows the decision to axe its Metro store format under a restructuring last year.
Chief executive Ken Murphy said the latest opening programme will take it to a total of over 2,000 Express stores and 1,001 shops. “Our priority is to be the most convenient retailer,” he said. "That means serving customers wherever, whenever and however they want. No matter where our customers live, or how they shop.”
Up to 290,000 shop staff, along with call centre and warehouse workers, at Tesco will also get a bonus as a special "thank you" for their efforts over the past year, the retailer added.
